


Time

by indigowaterbears



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-08-11 23:52:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7912375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigowaterbears/pseuds/indigowaterbears
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amelia calls Owen for help when she babysits for the first time all Zola, Bailey and Ellis. Things take an unexpected turn leaving for Meredith a house full of surprises when she comes back home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time

"Oh, thank God you're here." Amelia didn't even bother with formalities nor she worried about all the implications of her calling him way past dinner time. She was home alone with the kids, all the kids, and it had been a very long while since she had taken care of a baby and even then it had been just a baby, not a baby and Bailey and Zola. When Meredith had asked she hadn't thought twice, it would be the first time she was alone with baby Ellis and after the hiccups in their relationship since she'd been back, she'd taken on the task no questions asked. Her issues with Meredith were still issues, but for a little while she'd been worried they'd come in the way of her and the kids, after all they were Derek's kids and she couldn't afford to lose them as well. Sadly, though, the night hadn't gone as smoothly as she would have expected. Zola had refused to eat and Amelia had spent nearly an hour trying to get her to at least have a snack, failing miserably. Giving up on her niece, she then went and fought with Bailey to get him into the bath tub and later to get him into his pyjamas. All the while either holding or rocking the baby, who was starting to be awake for longer periods of time, but had been blissfully unaware of the struggle around her and was calmly looking around all the time. Until she wasn't calm anymore. About half an hour ago she had started screaming on top of her lungs, so Amelia had dutifully changed her, fed her and tried to get her to sleep, but none of that worked. Now she still had to get Zola to eat something and get her ready for bed, get Bailey dressed in anything and get the baby to stop crying so loudly.

She opened the door wider and stepped inside. Owen looked around, it looked like a bomb had gone off in the living room, all the way to the dining table. Toys, plates and clothes were everywhere and Zola and Bailey were nowhere to be found. He turned back to Amelia trying to ask one of the million questions that had just popped in his head. Then, and only then, he saw her. Her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, she had food and spit up all over her shirt collar and shoulders, she was holding Ellie in her arms, who was just screaming on top of her lungs. The bewildered look in her eyes was something new, though. She looked lost and tired and completely and utterly resigned to the situation. The two minute walk to the house from the trailer had been filled of questions and hopes and worries about this late call, but he could see now she was just plain desperate, probably didn't even know what time it was.

"Hey," he tried to get her attention, but she was trying to calm down the baby, while picking up what looked like monster themed pyjamas. She hadn't even given any sign that she'd heard him, so he took her shoulders, and physically turned her to him. "Amelia, what happened?"

In a second her face fell, her composure and confidence – what was left at least – slipping away so fast, leaving her a teary dmess. "They hate me. All of them." She wiped at her eyes with her free hand, the baby was getting even more agitated as she started to break down. "Everything was going fine and then Zola refused to eat and then I had to chase Bailey to get him into the bath and," her voice cracked. "she just won't stop crying and I don't know what to do anymore."

Owen smiled. Amelia looked in pieces, he'd seen her walk out of surgeries that lasted fifteen to twenty hours and she didn't have one hair out of place, but right now she looked as if she'd been put through the wringer. "Alright, give me the baby."

She looked hesitantly at him, it wasn't out of some sort of lack of trust, rather it felt as if she, just for a second, thought of the baby as a wildly contagious and dangerous creature. Then Owen nodded encouraging her and held his hands out, taking Ellie delicately in his arms, rocking her slowly. After a split second she stopped crying. Owen stared down at her, big, blue watery eyes that looked way too much like her aunt's and he found himself unable to look away. However, when he heard a sniffle he turned to look at Amelia, but he was definitely not ready for what he found. Amelia was actually crying, sobbing, tears everywhere crying. For a moment there he was at loss of what to do, the baby was finally calm and silent and looked just about ready to go to sleep, he'd expected she'd be relieved to see that, instead she looked desperate. Shifting Ellie in his arms he freed one arm, opening it wide, inviting her to be comforted just like the baby, but she shook her head, rooted on the spot.

"Come on, come here."

He held her gaze for whatever time necessary, until she gave in and stepped into his open arm. "I'm the worst aunt in the world, to think I used to look after triplets…"

Owen rubbed her back, feeling the smile on his face stretch impossibly large. "You're not the worst. This happens, it's completely normal."

Amelia sighed, Owen's presence and Ellie finally being quiet after almost an hour of screaming into her ear was calming her down as well. She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes and pretending for just a moment this was another life, or just a year ago. If they had been standing here like this a year ago the first thought in their mind was the possibility of getting caught by Meredith or Derek coming home earlier. Derek would be there. Amelia breathed in again, Owen's sweatshirt smelled the same as his pillows. She tried to concentrate on that and on the fact that the baby in his arms wouldn't have been there either, which seemed a good enough reason to focus on the present right now.

"Okay." She pulled away, wiping her eyes, hoping she didn't look as big of a mess as she felt. "Can you hold her while I put the other two to bed?"

Owen nodded. He would never tell her, but tonight was taking an unexpected turn and he was so completely okay with that. When she'd called his mind had gone over the endless list of possibilities, anything really that would explain why she was calling so late on an apparently random day. While at first he thought she wanted to talk, talk about them, have that famous talk they never had months and months ago, but as he dug deeper he realised she might be just about to do the opposite, tell him they were done, they were just friends or worse, she was moving away, back to LA or who knows where and he would never see her again. Standing in the middle of the living room holding a sleepy baby and comforting her was actually the best option and, certainly, not one he'd thought of. So when she walked to the kids' rooms he followed her, keeping a close eye on Ellie, careful not to upset her, but she looked peaceful and calm and just about ready to fall asleep. Before he was even in the room he heard shrieks coming out and the baby in his arms turned dangerously around, kicking and fussing. Going back to the living room, reluctantly letting Amelia wrestle her niece and nephew alone, was probably a good idea, if anything there wouldn't be a third baby to fight with. So he sat down on the couch, skilfully avoiding sitting on any miniature horse or alien or zoo animal, as well as barbies and other kinds of dolls and Lego pieces that were scattered everywhere else. Ellie had calmed down the second they had moved away from all the noise, but was now looking around nervously. Rationally he knew the baby couldn't be nervous, didn't even know what it was yet, but there was something in her eyes, she was looking around for someone, he obviously hadn't been around long enough to be trusted to fall asleep on. She turned up and met his eyes and for a second there it felt like they were actually communicating. It was strange and otherworldly, but she kept her eyes trained on him and he didn't look away, he couldn't. This baby looked exactly like Derek – what he'd imagined Derek looked like as a baby – or better yet, a female Derek, so really, she looked a lot like what Amelia must have looked like as a baby. It was mesmerising.

This surreal moment, though, was interrupted when Amelia walked briskly back into the living room and plopped down on the couch a couple of feet away from him. She was still holding Bailey's pyjamas and she was also breathing deeply and slowly in an almost zen like way. Owen was afraid to say anything, he didn't want her to break down again nor did he want to be the object of her wrath and, unsure of which of the two he would get, he just shut up not letting his eyes stray from her.

"I'm done, I give up." She fingered the monster onesie she was holding. Amelia shook her head slowly, completely and utterly resigned to what seemed to be her night. The kids had taken over and the mutiny had been a success, if it wasn't for Owen she'd be pulling her hair out right now. "They are going to get tired and fall asleep and I'll just move them then. Meredith's never going to let me babysit again – not that I would want to."

When he heard her sniffle, he tilted his head affectionately. Half a day with three kids had her in pieces, literally. Looking around, as if to assess the situation, he sat up straighter, mindful of the baby. If Amelia had called him, knowing what calling him meant – they were in a very weird and awkward stage of their relationship, the one where they didn't even know if there was a relationship to begin with – she must have been desperate. He scooted over until his leg was touching hers, earning him a confused glance, he lifted the baby from his arms and placed her on her chest, knowing she might have refused to take her if she'd had a choice. "I'm going to take care of them, you can put her to bed."

He gave her a soft, sweet smile and walked in the direction of the kids' rooms. Amelia looked down at Ellie, contentedly laying with her head on her shoulder, content enough with playing with one of the buttons on her shirt. She'd spent enough time with Henry and the triplets to know that parenting was hard, even the part time version she got to experience, yet she still had her heart set on having kids one day. She'd always loved kids, but after her baby died he left her with the burning desire to have more – and of course the blinding fear of going through pregnancy again, with all the possible risks and complications. Leave it to Derek's kids to convince her otherwise. It wasn't just stressful and exhausting, it was downright crushing her. Her own job was already time consuming and stressful and hard, she could never do this too. Not as a regular thing. So, when Owen reappeared – without Bailey's clothes – she let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Zola had the banana with peanut butter and Bailey is not naked anymore and both are in beds." He sat down next to her, not bothering putting distance between them, placing his arm on the back of the couch, around her shoulders. They were barely touching, yet he was infinitely glad she wasn't pulling away, rather leaning back against him. It wasn't much and certainly not as much as he would want, but he took whatever she had to give and wait for the rest.

Amelia nodded, her hand was playing with the soft hair on the baby's head. She didn't trust herself to look at him, not now when the whole night, since she left the hospital up to now, was starting to sink in. She shouldn't have called him, frankly if there had been anyone else she could have called, she would not have called him. She wanted – _needed_ – this thing with Owen to work and tonight wasn't helping matters in that regard. "Thank you."

He smiled, she couldn't see, but she knew and she got confirmation when his fingers started rubbing her shoulder gently and she was melting, right there and then. Her eyes closed automatically and her brain shut down all function, all she could think or feel was his hand on her shoulder and how it was making her feel all tingly and sending shivers down her spine. What brought her back down to earth was the feeling of the baby's hand sneaking inside her shirt and scratching her skin. It wasn't actual scratching, just a very uncomfortable tickly sensation. Upon looking down she saw that not only she had somehow got her hand into her shirt, but managed to get a button loose – considering the condition her shirt was in, it was entirely possibly it had come undone by itself – which meant the shirt had suddenly become _very_ low cut. She knew Owen had seen it all already, yet her hand quickly popped the button back in.

Her spine straightened and she gently grabbed her hand putting it back on the outside of her clothes, she knew sometimes Meredith nursed her to sleep, but that wasn't happening now. Losing human contact, though, the baby started fussing and was right about ready to start crying all over again, forcing Amelia to shift her, holding her in the crook of her arm. "So sorry Ellie, but I can't do that." When Owen shot her a quizzical look she looked down, hoping the blush on her face wouldn't be as noticeable – to think she was a doctor. "She's used to fall asleep nursing."

"Maybe you should go put her down, she's uh, obviously tired enough." He said, trying to rid the atmosphere of the sudden awkwardness. When Amelia turned to face him he saw her chew the inside of her cheek, she was fidgeting whilst trying to move as little as possible, she seemed nervous and he didn't know why. She glanced down at the baby and then back up at him as if trying to decide what to do and he got it, he understood the dilemma going on in her head. "I'll be right here when you come back."

True to his word, when Amelia finally emerged with a baby monitor in her hand, Owen was still sitting on the couch, much in the same position she'd left him. Only now it was only the two of them, suddenly the tension in the room became so thick it was hard to breath. However, the rough night had left Amelia beyond exhausted and rattled and instead of breathing, a giant yawn made its way on her face. Owen's eyes were soft and… confusing. He was looking at her in a way that she couldn't decipher even if she tried and she was way too tired to give it too much thought. He stood, then, and walked up to her, sliding an arm around her waist as if it was the most natural thing in the world and began walking with her towards her room. The bits of her brain that were still working were yelling at her to stop and send him home, she couldn't have him in her room while she was sleeping on her feet covered in baby food and spit up, but even when she hesitated he didn't let her. She closed her door almost all the way, leaving a little bit so that if any of the kids woke they could come in freely, and turned around unsure of what to do next. Having Owen over was not only new, but it was especially not going the way she'd imagined it, there was no romance and there had been no talks. It was still weird and awkward, but there was a familiarity in everything that happened tonight that somehow eclipsed that. "I should probably change, maybe even shower."

He nodded and smiled, if he was feeling uncomfortable he was not showing it. Owen just sat on her bed, kicking off his shoes, so that he wouldn't need to reassure her that he wasn't going to disappear as soon as she turned around. Feeling uncharacteristically shy Amelia grabbed an oversized t-shirt and shorts and brought them into the bathroom with her, trying to solve as quickly as possible the dilemma of whether she should wash her hair or not, which basically meant making sure none of the disgustingness that was on her shirt had made its way up into her hair. Quickly brushing through it she decided it was okay. The shower turned out to be very fast and very calming, in every sense possible. When she came out of the bathroom in fresh clothes and rid of all the baby stuff, she took a moment to just stand there. Owen was laying in her bed and was looking at her – well, he wasn't just looking he was admiring her, his eyes were doing that thing that made her feel like a teenager. Actually, no, she'd never been that teenager, so no.

She felt warmth spreading all over her body and she felt light, as if gravity had somehow stopped. Amelia was almost positive there was a smile on her face that mirrored his perfectly, so when he held out an arm – just like he'd done earlier – she crawled in bed to his side, which was actually her side, and laid half on top of him, her body moulding perfectly into his. He wrapped his left arm, the one under her head, around her back, using the right one to caress her cheek. Amelia looked up at him, she wanted to say something, anything really. She wanted to fall asleep laying in his arms like this everyday, she didn't want it to be just for tonight, just because she was exhausted and tired and had called him as a last resort. She wanted them to be together because they were ready for it, she knew their feelings were there and they should be more than enough to actually be together, but it wasn't, not for them. They had grown a lot over the past year and ever since he'd taken drugs from her their bond had grown in a deeper and permanent way, but half afraid and half unsure neither had acted on them, one way or the other. He just tightened his hold on her and turned on his side, keeping her so impossibly close. His right hand found its way into her hair again and he just held her effectively shutting up the monologue in her mind.

A few moments later, feeling her shift slightly, he leaned down to kiss her head softly. "Sleep, Amelia."

She buried her head in his chest and breathed in, pretending once again she was in a different world entirely, the one where her biggest worry was her brother finding out she was sleeping with the chief. The hand in her hair was providing the same relaxing feeling and welcome distraction as before, and the sound of his heartbeat, vibrating against her cheek, was lulling her to sleep. Not that she needed any help sleeping tonight. Owen felt the second she fell asleep, her entire body relaxed and her breathing calmed. His own eyes felt heavy and his body felt like jelly and he realised he should probably move and go back home, everyone was finally asleep and his help was no longer needed here. However, as soon as he tried to move her arm around his back tightened and her hand clenched in his sweatshirt. There was no way he could move without waking her and he really, really didn't want to have to do that. So, after a careful moment of consideration, he decided to stay, well aware that there was a good chance this was a terrible idea.

When Meredith came back home she wasn't ready for what she found, sure the kids were messy and now that there were so many it was a lost cause trying to maintain even some semblance of order, but this was far beyond anything she'd seen before. Amelia had babysat many, many times before and it generally went smoothly, the kids loved their aunt so they usually behaved better than with her. Still, there was no one here, the house looked completely empty and it was relatively early so she'd expected to find at least Amelia awake, if not the baby as well. Feeling the worry rise in her chest she made her way to the kids' rooms, mentally preparing herself to find empty beds and a mess not unlike the one in the living room. In the short walk to Zola's room her mind went over all the possibilities ranging from injury and trip to the ER to death to kidnapping to kids lost in the woods to… Zola was asleep in her bed, her room was as tidy as usual and she looked fine. Poking her head inside Bailey's room he found him asleep as well and surprisingly wearing his pyjamas, she'd been having a hard time lately getting him to sleep in something, he was going through a phase where he just wanted to be naked all the time. She probably should have mentioned that, although Amelia seemed to have had no problem getting him ready. Finally stepping into her room she saw her baby fast asleep in her crib and Meredith breathed out in relief. She trusted Amelia, she trusted her at work and with her kids, despite their… differences lately they were making it work and, right now, she couldn't be picky, she needed all the help she could get.

Pushing Amelia's door open, quietly, not wanting to spook her or necessarily disturb her she was not expecting what she found – wasn't tonight just full of surprises. Amelia was in her bed with Owen, who looked completely wrapped around her. The instinct to cover up her eyes was instant, but she was quicker to notice that, not only were they fully clothed, but most likely asleep. They were huddled on one side of the bed, laying on top of he covers, legs tangled and arms wrapped tightly around the other. Meredith felt the corner of her lip tug, they were cute. She would never tell them, she couldn't, her history with Cristina and her history with Owen didn't allow her that, unconsciously, but the nagging feeling she got whenever she saw him with someone else was still there regardless of the circumstances. After a while, though, it started to physically hurt seeing them together, not because of whether they should be together or not, but rather because she knew she was going to bed alone today, and she was going to go to bed alone for so many more days because the love of her life was dead. It was hurting her in a way it hadn't before. It hurt when he died, when she actually pulled the plug on him and when she'd realised her children would grow up without a father, it hurt when she found the ferry boat scrub cap he'd never get to wear again, it hurt when she found out she was pregnant. But this, this she had not yet figured out. It was the comfort, the laying there – _just_ laying there in his arms that was turning her insides right now. Her chest was tightening and her eyes burned, she'd never thought she could be jealous of Amelia.

She had completely forgotten that the light in the living room was still on and with the open door it was filtering in, so she jumped a little when Owen's head turned up to look at her, wide awake. "Sorry, I, uh, didn't mean to wake you… I was just looking…" she couldn't breathe, but she also really didn't want to wake Amelia.

When Owen noticed she was shaking he untangled his hand from Amelia's hair and patted the other side of the bed, noticing only then the two of them were taking up only half the bed. Meredith hesitated, her arms were hugging her body and her breathing was shaky and uneven. Owen looked at her pointedly, patting again the space. "Meredith."

She sat on the bed unsure of what to do. This was weird. And she knew that maybe right now, given how she was feeling, the best idea would be to lay alone in her bed and commiserate. Ellie would be up in a little anyway. She looked around spotting the baby monitor on the bedside table, she could just grab it and go to her room, but once Owen took her hand in his she couldn't leave. She was going to cry, she couldn't let him, she had to pull away – right now. Her chest was heaving and she'd promised herself she was done crying, so she didn't. Taking in a few deep, long breaths Meredith managed to calm down a little, still holding onto his hand. When she finally met his eyes, he gave her a sympathetic smile and he let go of her hand briefly to pat the empty space on the other side of Amelia, who lay comfortably snuggled against him, oblivious to everything that was going on. Meredith wanted to, she wanted to stay there, lay in bed with someone, now that even Cristina was gone, but her and Amelia weren't on the best of terms – not bad, but not good enough for this. Noticing her hesitation and how she kept sneaking glances down to make sure she was still asleep, he reassured her. "She's asleep. Come on, the kids wiped her out, she won't wake till morning."

Meredith sighed and gave in, laying down. This was _so_ weird, but it was strangely making her feel better and somewhat less alone. For the first time since walking in, she realised Owen was there – not as in she hadn't seen him before, but to her knowledge this was the first time he spent the night here. In the mess of this last year, she'd forgotten that he and Amelia were dating or seeing each other or whatever. In an effort not to think of how sad and depressing her own life had become she turned to him, spotting his hand, the one that had taken hers, tangled back in Amelia's dark hair. "She managed better than I ever do. I mean, Bailey's not sleeping naked, so that's a lot better than me already."

Owen chuckled. "Don't beat yourself up, you're doing great." She nodded quietly, but the sceptic look on her face, the one that told him she appreciated how he was trying to make her feel better, but he actually wasn't, forced him to expand on that. "She had help."

He'd said the right thing, he had. Yet it wasn't making her feel any better – sure it was a relief to know that her kids were as hard to handle for Amelia and she wasn't a failure as a parent, but it was making her feel Derek's absence even more. Her chest tightened once more and this time, she wasn't sure she could keep herself from breaking down. As she made to move, Owen called her gently, urging her to stay. "Look, I appreciate this, I do, but it's weird and I'm not really sure Amelia would be okay with me being here if she woke up."

Owen sighed, knowing she was half right about that. "You and Derek took care of Cristina many times when I couldn't, it's only fair to be here for you now, whatever you need."

"Still, what if she wakes up?"

Owen just shrugged, he had no idea what would happen if Amelia woke up and as long as she didn't he wouldn't even think about it. This was a little weird he had to give it to her, but it was slowly growing on him and it was certainly not what he'd imagined would be the one time he'd find himself in bed with two women at once. "Don't worry about that." he looked briefly down at Amelia to make sure she really was asleep, once he was almost sure she was he turned back to Meredith. It didn't take a shrink to figure out what was going on into her head. "I know this might be… unconventional, but I really am here. I live two minutes away and I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but Meredith I'm here we're almost like family, I mean, your kids call me Uncle Owen. I'm here for you and for the kids. You don't need to wait until you're spread this thin to ask for help, I'm more than happy to come over and help whenever you need it."

Meredith smiled, genuinely this time, not as a failed attempt to convince Owen and herself she really was okay. "Owen… it's really nice of you to offer, but you don't have to do it because my children are Amelia's nieces and nephew, you don't have an obligation to us."

Owen sighed. "Meredith, I'm not saying this because of Amelia." He shook his head, raising his eyebrows looking for the right words to say this. "I don't even know what Amelia and I are, so regardless I'm offering. I'm offering because Derek was my first friend here and over the years we spend a lot of time together and I don't really have a family, brothers or sisters, and… I want to do it. I know you have Alex and your sister and Richard and Callie and Bailey, but I'm offering dinner, or time so you can shower or take an uninterrupted nap. I know I don't have to, I want to."

"Thank you. Really." Meredith sighed feeling more and more comfortable by the minute. She wasn't new to sleeping in a bed full of people, but the tension and the strained relationship she had with Amelia had caused her to hesitate. It was nice, not having to be alone. Even if she would prefer Cristina here, this was the next best thing after all she and Amelia _were_ , in fact, family. "So, you two are not…" looking for a sensible way to put it she stopped – they didn't look like friends, definitely more, but Owen's doubtful attitude suggested something else entirely. "What happened while I was away?"

"We uh, broke up before you left. Before Derek died actually, then things were… strained at best. I screwed up – not, well, I thought I was doing the right thing back then. I reenlisted and left, I was away for so long. Almost as long as you were."

Meredith noticed the tone of his voice, full of guilt and regret, and she knew it wasn't just about Derek or Amelia. She knew he'd been away, she knew things had changed a lot around the hospital, despite tried to pretend they didn't. "I didn't know you were away for so long."

"After losing Cristina, I really tried to make it work with her," he looked briefly at Amelia, laying perfectly still in his arms. "When she pushed me away I… I just didn't push back. I knew she hadn't taken his death well, I was worried, but… I was selfish and I did this thing for myself."

She didn't say anything. She felt guilty, still. At that time, when she sat in the hospital chairs for so long, waiting for him to die all she could think about was herself. It was selfish, but Amelia had been in their life for such little time that when her brain half shut down she didn't remember her, she didn't think to call her, she'd fallen into that category with his mother and the rest of her sisters of family that was too far away to come in time. It couldn't have been easy. "You do know you're allowed to think of yourself from time to time. You're not a bad person for putting yourself first." She said jokingly, not really expecting laughs or anything.

"I guess." He shrugged. "But I knew how bad she was feeling and I left anyway, I ran. From Derek and from her, that's the problem."

Meredith smiled, it still hurt, but the constant pain was something she was getting used to. It was a welcome distraction from the numbness of her empty room. "Remember this is me you're talking to. I fled the state and left a note."

Owen nodded. "Cristina didn't leave me when I was at my worst and it took me a couple of months to pack my bags this time."

Meredith winced at the mention of Cristina. She never liked Owen Cristina's boyfriend and husband and whatever they had become in the end, but she had grown to like Owen the doctor and Owen Derek's friend. "And you stayed with her too, after the plane crash until she got better." She didn't need to add how as soon as Cristina felt better she left the state and they divorced once she came back. "You seem to be doing good enough now."

"Yeah. But I was lucky."

Meredith shrugged. "You both were. You shouldn't waste any time. Trust me, it's not worth it."

Owen nodded. She was right, Meredith was so right, but he couldn't get hurt, not anymore and neither could Amelia, so this decidedly precarious thing they had worked perfectly for them. No chance of rejection and pain at the cost of all the good things they could have. "After what happened with Cristina, I just don't want to ruin it. Whatever it is, it feels like a second chance and I want it to last and if this is all I get, then so be it. I don't care anymore. I don't care about being married or having my own house or kids or my job. I want this," he unconsciously tightened his arms around Amelia. "I almost lost it all, by going away I almost lost everything and I can't, not again."

Meredith's eyes softened. She was missing something for sure, but from his careful wording it was quite obvious she wasn't going to get it out of him. She did remember how much it hurt, all the back and forth with Derek and then Addison, being together at last had been a relief amongst all the rest, things were never perfect, but the stability brought on a comfort that made some of those issues actually easier. Amelia and her weren't on the best of terms, but she was Derek's little sister and he was still incredibly protective of her despite her age and accomplishments, in a way she'd been convinced she'd have to take over for him there, but with Owen's words she considered herself off the proverbial hook. She decided to tell him about that stupid time she'd told Derek to choose her, with that cheesy, corny, stupid line, when she put herself out there open and vulnerable and she'd been rejected. Luckily, Meredith was lost in her story because Owen wasn't really focusing on her words, not when he'd felt Amelia's hand rub his back. It was moving in slow, regular, circular motions, which told him she was awake, but for the sake of everyone was pretending not to be. It was a relief, knowing she was there with him.


End file.
